Reflections on Vancouver

Thurs Dec 1st
Flight from Sydney to Vancouver (~9hrs) was interrupted by a brief 45min stop-over in Honolulu. Even though it was about 10:20pm, it was humid as all hell - much worse than Qld. I found the Hawaiians to be most friendly - well, their customs people anyway.... On the flight, sat next to this 21 y.o. Adelaidian jack who was doing something similar to Simon and going to work on the ski fields for 6 months before doing a tour of U.S. and Mexico. He was OK - just got annoying after a while. Another 5hrs from Honolulu to Vanc. but coming in at about 7:00am Vanc. time was just amazing as the sun was just beginning to come up from behing a stunning snow-capped mountain range. Absolutely gorgeous.

The weird jack.

Thurs Dec 1st
Through customs and caught the Airporter bus service to the Howard Johnson hotel *** on Granville St. (known as the 'HoJo' - I'm serious!! "The kids can call you Ho Ju!"). Bus driver was mad friendly and there was even a complimentary newpaper (The Province). After getting off the freeway, we drove through the outer suburbs of Vanc. and it reminded me of our wide streets in suburban Aust. - only their roofs and front lawns were white with a thin layer of the first snow of the winter. Temp 3 C.

HoJo.

The hotel is in downtown Vanc. which is kinda seedy (the first thing that you see when you walk out of the hotel is an Adult Store) and you see your fair share of homeless bum lords (I don't know how they can sleep on the street when it's 0 C at night!) but it's not that bad that you feel uncomfortable (Hindley St is worse!). In fact, I really like downtown Vanc. as it is a big city, but it's not touristy at all and doesn't have all the kerfuffle of a major city. Rob would love it - multiple extras!

Granville St.

I was too early to check in (9:00am) so I left my luggage at the HoJo and took a walk around downtown Vanc. This was slighly surreal and I couldn't believe that I was actually standing in Canada when 2 days ago I was lounging around Adelaide. Maybe it was the jet lag, but it was trippy. Crazy times! Everywhere I went I walked (mad blisters and sore calfs from so much walking - something Shaun would not have experienced) - walked up Granville St and went to Robson St which is like a bigger Rundle Mall, Howe St where the Art Gallery is (didn't go in).

Some nice lookin' wooden statue things.

Had Subway for lunch (Shaun, that IS the local Nth American cuisine!!) and saw the bus driver who took me to the hotel. Went back to my room at the HoJo (117) round 11:00am, had a peek at Canadian TV (meh....) and crashed for a few hours as I was dead tired. Was woken by a call from home, which was good cos I probably would've slept for days. In the lobby I met this Aussie guy from Brisbane, Andrew 27, who was mad hung-over but was staying in Room 108 with his mate. They had got in the day before and had a mad night at the Roxy. I asked where they'd be that night and he said, 'probably the Roxy' so I said, 'done' and he said he'd come and get me when they headed out.

Anyway, was pretty hungry again and decided to Canadia-it-up and try the local equivalent of a Yiros/Kebab shop which is a pizza slice store (though there is one on Cavill Ave in Gold Coast). They have massive slices of pizza for 99c although they're pretty feeble cos they just make them and they sit there on a re-heating tray - but mad value! I had 3 slices and was set. Of course, the owners were Indian (all these kinds of places had immigrant workers -souvenir stores had extras) and he was pretty much the only grumpy guy I encountered during my whole stay - though I can't blame him, as it's not the most enthralling job in the world.

Anyway, wandered the streets of Vanc. by night, called home from a payphone and went to check out the Roxy at about 8:20. The bouncer (also mad friendly - unlike in Aust!!) politely told me there was a private rap show on at the moment but that a rock band, Dr. Strangelove, would be playing later that night (cover $6). Mad!! So I went round the corner to an Irish pub to kill some time and watch an ice hockey game on the big screen. Vancouver Canucks (3) lost to the Edmonton Oilers (5) thought there was no sound so I didn't follow it all.

But I took the opportunity so sample the local beverages. Molson Candian (which I believe was actually bought out by a U.S. company hence canadians hate it now - still drink it though!!) is the standard beer and is mad (it's also what I would later get feebled on at the Roxy! Mad gum!). Also tried Sleeman's which has a hint of honey and is almost like Beez Kneez, though not as good. Tried another dark larger which I don't remember the name of but it had chocolate in it and was crap.

Went back to the Roxy about 9:30pm to check out the band (drstrangeloveband.com). The Roxy was a homely bar with a stage to the side. They band were very good and they two female singers adopted the schoolgirl look with mad short skirts! Took requests from the audience and even played AC/DC "for all the Aussies out there". Mad! I chatted with the fat bassist between sets and requested some Led Zep and he's like, "Mad! Yeah, we can do some - one of our female singers can do 'Rock and Roll'." I said 'mad!', and waited, and waited and waited for long, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time........but it never came............

Chatted to this Vancouverite, Zoe, for a little while - she was mad friendly (she said the 4th Harry Potter is mad). Then Andrew and his friend came in and we started getting stuck into the Molsons ($5.50)! Anyway, we had just got to the dance floor in front of the stage (this was between sets) but then there was some commotion behind me and I turned around to see these two guys brawling. Don't know how it started but appeared to happen very quickly. But one guy got in a massive left hook to the other guys face and he just tumbled back through the swinging toilet doors and hit the ground. Then he proceeded to kneel over his chest and lay into his face with his left fist in a scene reminiscent of 'Fight Club'. He got in about 8-10 punched but it looked like the guys was already out cold when he hit the ground. Andrew and I sort of looked at each other with stunned expressions on out faces, but no one was doing anything so we looked at each other and ran in to help the guy. By this time security had come to take the other guy away, but the injured dude was still laying there with blood on his face. We helped him up and as he stood up he put his hand against my chest (after putting it to his bloodstained face) - nad, mad blood stains from some random Canadian dude on my light coloured jumper. But I washed it off and it was all good.

Didn't see what happened to the injured guy after that, but right before the fight got ugly, this other guy tried to stop and got punched in the nose by the aggressor. So afterwards, me and Andrew was talking to him and he was like, 'Here's to chivalry, jacks!!". Then for the whole night whenever he saw me, he would raise his drink and wink knowingly, as if to say, 'Mad honour!'.

Anyway, it was a fun night (especially when Andrew was waving his Aussie passport around on the dance floor - crazy times!), but just as we were really getting into the swing of things the bouncers cleared the place out at 2:00am. Which was a shame as we were just having a mad convo with some nice swiss girls. Zoe had said that Vanc. isn't really known for it's night scene but I really liked the Roxy which I though was pretty mad for a Thurs night and Ihad mad funnies. We headed back to the hotel which was OK as I was pretty feebled and had to check out before 12 noon. Mad sleep!!

Friday Dec 2nd
Checked out and left my luggage there and was starving so went to an authentic American style burger bar. Had a real burger with a serve of fries that could've been a meal in itself! It was really nice, though I couldn't finish it all (sorry, to disappoint you Shaun - but maybe I could've finished it if I wasn't so hung-over....). The guys there were so genuinely friendly with mad service - they received a mad tip from me. I have always been opposed to the idea of tipping in Aust. but I see now its merits as you really get good service from waiting staff. I don't know if it's because of the lure of a tip or just that Canadians are always mad friendly but everyone I encountered during my stay was very courteous, polite and obliging - I think it was the latter............

More freaky statues.

Spent my remaining hours in Vanc. having one last look around and doing some shopping before I used the internet at the HoJo to blog it up then and caught the bus to the Airport at around 2:00pm. Watched Seinfeld while I waited before getting on a big jet plane headed for London......................

Some type of winged creature.

Overall impressions of Vancouver - I loved it! I really liked the city - I felt comfortble straight away and safe. The people was so nice I couldn't get over it. Everytime you ask for something: "You got it!" The weather was good too - not too cold. There was light snow falling which melted before it reached the ground. Vancouver has left a favourable impression on me and I will have fond memories of my time there. I feel I could live in that city. Can't wait to be back to explore it all!!